


all right now

by cleopatraslibrary



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher (YouTube)
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Shyan Secret Santa 2019, Shyan Secret Santa 2k19, Shyan Writing Events, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatraslibrary/pseuds/cleopatraslibrary
Summary: “Then who’s the list of people of for?” he asked. He tried to keep the guilt out of his voice, but by the look she gave him, it didn’t work out too well.“People who might join. Who’s odds are higher than seventy percent.”Ryan looked over the list again. Most of them were all familiar names, except for…“Who’s Shane Ma-dedge?” he asked.“Madej,” Jen corrected, her eyebrows going up. “Like, ma-day.”“Ma-day.”
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 4
Kudos: 104





	all right now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jilldragomir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jilldragomir/gifts).



“The ‘Test Friends,’ huh, Jen?” Ryan asked, staring down at the list of people to be included and the plans they had set for the first video. “It feels like we’re another version of the Try Guys, but with less nudity and a lower budget.”

“I mean…” She shrugged nonchalantly from her seat. They were sitting across from one another at the office; not too many people were around yet. “Honestly, I can’t blame you. It’s what we’re going to be. Where the Try Guys are doing awesome shit that only people with the means can do it, we’re just testing stuff out. Seeing if it’s worth the trouble for the masses. You know the drill.”

“Is this a deal I can say no to?” he asked. 

Jen’s face soured a bit. She didn’t look disappointed or anything, just… tired. “You can. I know it’s not really glamorous or anything, but… Heh.” She scratched the back of her head. “It’s kind of funny, actually. No one’s really interested.” 

“Then who’s the list of people of for?” he asked. He tried to keep the guilt out of his voice, but by the look she gave him, it didn’t work out too well.

“People who might join. Who’s odds are higher than seventy percent.”

Ryan looked over the list again. Most of them were all familiar names, except for… 

“Who’s Shane Ma-dedge?” he asked.

“Madej,” Jen corrected, her eyebrows going up. “Like, ma-day.”

“Ma-day.”

“Yeah, Madej.”

“Ma-lay-day? M’lady?”

“Ryan, I won’t hesitate--”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Ow!” he laughed, the crumpled up paper ball hitting him upside the head. He picked up the ball from where it fell on the floor and asked, “Alright, now who is he? Was he just hired?” He threw the ball in the trash and muttered, “Kobe,” to himself when it made it in.

“Don't make me throw another one at you,” she warned. “And yeah, he’s an intern. I thought they hired you both at the same time, though; or at least, around the same time. Huh. Anyway. He’s basically guaranteed to join, ‘cus he needs an in, you know?”

“And you’ve got Daysha and Maycie…” he said to himself.

“Also more than likely to join.”

“Alright, you know what? Fuck it. Let’s do this shit. Let’s test some bullshit so the general masses don't have to.”

“That’s the spirit!” she said, giving him a wide smile.

What could go wrong?

They’re only testing things every so often.

~

It was going wrong.

Going on Soylent for a few days easily sucked ass. It was gross, it made Ryan grouchy, and he wanted food. 

That wasn’t really Ryan’s problem, though. 

Sure, he felt like shit and was constantly hungry, and just wanted some goddamn food, but as soon as he had Chipotle again, he was fine. Great. Fantastic.

But for the next video? Going out drinking with coworkers, and one he hardly knew?

Yeah. He felt awkward as shit.

He could play it cool. He knew how to play it cool.

If Shane Ma-day wasn’t so weird. He was so goddamn weird. In that awful, sexy kind of way.

He was slim and tall, reminding him of his college days, where everything and everyone was available. In some ways, it didn’t matter that he started talking about the different historical hierarchies of inequality, as long as he kept moving his hands back and forth like that. Ryan couldn’t help but stare at his long fingers, and Christ, he needed another drink.

And another drink he had, because for this video, they needed to get shit-faced.

Jen was a great buffer between the two. She easily steered the conversation in directions she wanted it to go in, which kept both Ryan and Shane following her lead. Didn’t give them enough time on one subject to dwell on as they continued to drink. 

They started flirting back and forth, and Jen slowly started losing control of the conversation as simple phrases turned into lavish, lustrous remarks. They hadn’t even left the BuzzFeed offices yet, and Ryan knew, despite his initial wariness of Shane Madej, he was going to have fun tonight.

-

They were pressed up close together in the booth, side against side. Ryan could feel the heat radiating off of Shane and, every so often, feel his breath tickling his neck. 

They were still flirting -- God knew they were still flirting -- but it was well within the topic of conversation the rest of the group was having, sometimes playing off puns, and other times, just branching off from a particularly saucy remark Maycie threw at Jen. 

When they started talking about paranormal experiences, Ryan perked up. Not by much, mind -- he was much more interested in how the skin might taste above Shane’s clavicle -- but enough that he knew Shane was cutting off Maycie mid-story when he said, “Bullshit!”

All eyes turned to Shane. He didn’t back down. 

“The paranormal don't exist,” he said. “It’s bullshit.”

And that’s when the curtain fell and Ryan sobered as much as his inebriated mind would let him.

“How can you say it’s all bullshit?” he exclaimed, scooching away from him on the seat. It felt oddly cold and he hadn’t realized how used to the warmth he’d become accustomed to.

“Because it is! How can it not be? Ooh, a floorboard creaks, must be a ghost! Ooh, the curtain blew open -- ahh, it was a ghostie!”

“But what about all of the evidence that’s out there? Anecdotal stories and--”

“Exactly. Anecdotal stories. People lie, Ryan. It’s what people do.”

His mind started to go a bit fuzzy and he couldn’t quite hold onto his anger, but--

“Shut up, Shane. I’m gonna go dance.”

He got up abruptly and made his way to the center of the dancefloor, sidling up to a man with light hair and light eyes full of dark promises.

Ryan let himself drift with the music, not paying mind to the eyes burning through the taller man’s back.

-

He didn’t remember too much from the night before; he knew something had to have happened, though, since there seemed to be a lingering awkwardness between the other Test Friends and him.

Not with Shane, though.

Shane captured Ryan’s attention and no matter how many times he tried to pull his eyes away, he caught himself looking back too many times to count. Their hands brushed occasionally and sometimes their eyes met, before they simultaneously looked away.

Ryan didn’t think anything happened between them.

No matter. 

There was always next time.

-

It isn’t a few months until they find themselves in another precarious position.

The boulder climbing as fun. Jordan was a blast to have as a guest and Ryan genuinely enjoyed kicking both of their asses. 

Seeing Shane fall onto his back wasn’t that bad of a sight, either. 

They all joked around, the mood light and the cameras packing it in. 

“It was a pleasure to have you guys come in,” one of the workers said. Ryan couldn’t remember her name and he felt bad. 

“Thanks, Kara, it was a pleasure.” Oh, yeah, that was it. Shane was on it.

“Hey, do you guys want to go one more time? Fast paced and all together?” Kara asked.

“Nah, count me out,” Jordan said. “My arms are already burning.”

“Then it’s just you and me, big guy. Think you can handle it?” Ryan asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“Don't waggle your eyebrows at me, sir!” He turned towards Kara. “Yeah, we’re on.”

They moved towards one of the more difficult rock walls and, after the count of three, began.

They were unnecessarily close; every so often Shane would reach in front of Ryan to grab hold and in retaliation, Ryan did the same, until they were almost on top of each other, leaning against one another. The heat felt familiar against Ryan’s side. The steeper incline made it much more difficult than the one they did for show on camera, but the race was pretty even. 

That was until Shane leaned down and whispered in Ryan’s ear, “Thinking of beating me?” Ryan froze, his face flushing as his eyes darted up to Shane’s face; but all he did was take advantage of the extra moment Ryan had given him and hoisted himself over the ledge. 

“Shut up, Shane,” he said darkly. Shane laughed at him and he ignored the warmth in the pit of his stomach.

Another time.

-

“Hey Shane, can you do an episode of Unsolved with me?” Ryan asked, not looking up from his computer. 

He heard him shuffling through his desk, and then start typing. “Uhh, when’s the shoot?” he asked. 

“Next Monday.”

The mouse clicked a couple of times. Ryan looked up to watch Shane as he read his computer screen. 

“Yeah, sounds good to me,” he said. 

He reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks, big guy.”

“No problem.”

-

“Congratulations on the new channel, guys!”

“Yeah, it should be awesome!”

Ryan ducked his head, smiling at his friends. Shane stood by his side, a beer in his hand. “Well, we know one thing for sure: Ryan’ll make it awesome through sheer determination alone.”

His face burned and he said a meek, “Shut up, Shane,” while their friends laughed and cooed all around him. “Oh, fuck this, I’m gonna go dance,” he muttered at them and, surprisingly, Shane followed after putting down his drink. “You want a round, big guy?”

Shane raised his brows. “Now how am I supposed to say no to such a pretty guy such as yourself?” They walked onto the dance floor and Shane stepped into his personal space, his body familiar and foreign all at once. 

Ryan didn’t think about it. Instead, he moved, rhythmically swinging along to the music as if he were born to sway to the beat. He trailed bare-touching fingers down Shane’s arms and he shivered when he returned the caresses around his hips. 

Someone bumped into Ryan and cold liquid poured down his back, causing him to flinch and shout aimlessly. By the time he turned around, he didn’t see who the culprit was, but he looked at Shane apologetically.

“C’mon, I’ll help you clean up,” Shane said, and he followed him off the dancefloor.

-

The music pounded in the walls of the bathroom and Ryan could hardly relax as Shane patted down his back with a warm paper towel.

“You know,” Shane started. “We keep ending up in these provocative positions, and yet, nothing ever happens.” Ryan froze, looking at the other man in the mirror. 

“Do you want something to happen?” Ryan asked softly. 

He turned around, forgetting about the residual stickiness on his back. He stared up at Shane.

“I wouldn’t mind it, no,” he replied in that same soft tone. 

“Me neither,” he admitted. “I think we might be a couple of fools.”

“A couple of pining fools.”

“Now, I wouldn’t go so far as saying pining…”

“Are you kidding? Of course it’s been pining, what else could it be?”

“Sexual tension? That was my vibe.”

“Oh,” Shane said eloquently. “Is that… all you want?”

A shot of alarm went through Ryan as he realized the implications of what he said. “Oh! Fuck, no! I want to date the shit out of you.”

“Phew, okay,” he said, laughing a bit. “Ew, you want to date the shit out of me? Sorry, Ry, you gotta treat a guy to a drink first, sheesh.”

“Ah, Christ, shut up, Shane,” Ryan said. Slowly, he reached up and cupped his cheek.

Shane mirrored him, covering his. “Hey there,” he whispered.

“Hey. I’m going to kiss you now, is that okay?” Ryan asked.

Shane nodded, and they met like a warm day reflecting on a soft current. Ryan kissed him, cupping his cheeks, standing on the tips of his toes as Shane kissed him, bending down, wrapping his arms around his waist. They kissed each other, soft chaste pecks that had no right being so sweet in a club bathroom.

Ryan broke away. “Dude, we just had our first kiss in a public bathroom,” he said in disgust.

He didn’t let go of him, despite that.

“I guess our timing is shitty, huh,” Shane said, with a twinkle in his eye. Ryan shoved him away.

“Ugh, I take it back!” he said, walking out of the bathroom. As the door swung, he could hear Shane’s laughter echo out into the noisy club, and he couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face.

Yeah, things might’ve gone wrong in the past; but they were all right now.

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello hello!
> 
> this is my gift to @jilldragomir for the shyan secret santa exchange event. it wasn't really christmas related, but i really hope you liked it! 
> 
> until we meet again my dudes xxx
> 
> [jilldragomir's tumblr!](https://jilldragomir.tumblr.com)
> 
> [my tumblr!](https://cleopatraslibrary.tumblr.com)


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